YM -- Blogmeister

The Door In The Forest
By Roderick Townley
(YM)

Introduction
Have you ever wished that a book can fly into your hands? Have you ever wished that you can have a book that’s perfect for you and a book that has all your favorite kinds of genres fly into your hands? Well I have. The minute I saw this book, I quickly grabbed it. It was like this book flew into my hands! It was one of my favorite books.

Summary
In the midpoint of three towns, in the center of three streams, in the heart of a forest, lies a mysterious island. Encircled by quicksand and sewn shut by vines, it is impenetrable to all but the poisonous snakes with human heads patrolling the entrance. But Daniel is determined to get there along with his brother Wes and their friend Emily. Emily Byrdsong and all the Byrdsong family are mysterious themselves. Emily knows more than she can say, whose mother was taken away by a government troop and whose eccentric grandmother Bridey Byrdsong reads the future in her bubble bath. The soldiers come. Their menacingly master barking out orders. Mr. Sloper, (the master) is terribly interested in Daniel’s sleepy little town, Everwood. Is he searching for something? A treasure map? The island? The girl? Read the book to find out.

Reflection
This was one of my favorite books. Roderick Townley spins a magical tale of lies and truths, of secrets kept and secrets revealed. Sooner or later, we all must step through the door in the forest. I wish I could start this adventure all over again but in real life not in the book. I wish this place was real and I could go with Daniel, Wes, and Emily. Read this book and trust me it will not let you down! J

Connection
When Daniel, Wes, and Emily got lost in the woods, it reminds me of when my two cousins, my brother, and I were lost in our farm in the woods when we were pretending to be secret agents and hiding from my other 15 cousins. Finally, we saw some signs that were familiar rocks and kind of flowers and got back to our meeting place; (This happened in July, 2011JJJ)

Vocabulary Words
Here are some vocab words I struggled on while I read this amazing book:
Impenetrable: impassable, thick, dark, murky…
Patrolling: guarding, watching, touring…
Eccentric: odd, unusual, strange, peculiar, weird…
Abashed: embarrassed, ashamed, confused…
Illumination: light, lighting, brightness…
Subsided: diminished, decreased, lessened…

Daniel
Daniel is the main character and he is 14 years old. His nickname is Dan or Danny. He is truthful because when he lies, he has a head ache and stomach ache and because when the cruel captain, Sloper, asked him where is Daniel’s mother’s jewelry, pearls, and other gold and silver stuff, Daniel told the truth and suddenly his mother Gwen Crowley dropped the tray of food.
Emily
Emily Byrdsong is Bridey Birdsong’s granddaughter, she knows A lot than she can talk and she is between 12 and 14 years. Her nickname is Em. Emily’s mom, Miranda was taken by the government troops and killed. And Bridey Byrdsong can read the future in the bubbles in her bubble bath. Bridey can invent stuff like a trash can that takes things and never gives back whatever you throw in. Even animals. (Better be careful). Emily is shy because when the soldiers were talking to her, she quickly went up to her room. She doesn’t know how to stand up for herself, because when a soldier came into her room when she was there and when he took her pearl necklace that her great, great, great, great, great grandma once gave it to her daughter who once gave it to her daughter who once gave it to her…. Emily just started to hit that man and she got her pearl necklace back.

Wesley
Wesley is Daniel’s brother and he is 10, for a nickname they call him Wes and he likes geography, sometimes Daniel caught Wes studying maps long after bedtime. Ten years from now, Wesley could be wearing a suit and living in the city. He might even sail off to those foreign countries he was always reading about. Daniel will be still here kicking around in blue jeans. He is curious because when Daniel and Emily were talking about the map of the island called Here he started interfering and asking so many questions so finally, Em told him.

Here
Here is the mysterious island. The Byrdsongs are protectors for this island. Here is magic and whatever you want, it can be there. But be careful, not anyone can get there. I wish WE could get there. It’s like a Dream over there. But Unfortunately Here doesn’t exist. L

Hooking Passage
Imagine exploring this forbidden place where no one had ever been-never, since the moist beginnings of life on earth. It was in this one way like the moon, a land where no one had ever died and no one had ever been born. A place where no one had ever told a lie.

Roderick Townley
Roderick Townley was born June 7, 1942 and has published over a dozen books including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and more. Mr. Townley worked in New York as an editor, and now he writes from his home in Kansas. Roderick has two children, Jesse and Grace, and is married to poet and yoga instructor Wyatt Townley.
He also has won a number of book honors. Some of his books are:
The Great Good Thing: The Sylvie Cycle, Book One (2001)
Into The Labyrinth: The Sylvie Cycle, Book Two (2002)
The Constellation of Sylvie: The Sylvie Cycle, Book Three (2006)
Sky (2004)
The Red Thread (2007)
The Blue Shoe (2009)
The Door in the Forest (2011)

I am From
I am from a sensitive, worrying grandma to a fun, dependable grandpa who always counted on my mother. Grandparents that are lovable, sweet, helpful and never giving up.
I am from two other grandparents that I have never met. But my father loves them and risked his life for them. I have heard that my dad’s mother is a kind, meticulous woman to a hardworking, never giving up man that depended on my father more than his older children.
I am from two meticulous, neat, messy, never giving up parents who are striving to have an amazing life. Parents who love me, stood next to me when I needed help, gave me many hands, who never gave up on me, and who treated me like a princess when I was little.
I am from a family who helps me and care for me. A family full of respect, cheerfulness, and fun. An aggressive, messy sister to an annoying, self centered brother. I am from a family who empathizes with others. A family that is religious but absolutely not extreme. A family who appreciates human rights and freedom of others. A family that respects all religions evenly, and evenly and evenly.
I am from a wonderful country than is forcing me to see its natural heart of beauty. A country that needs a lot of improvement but I am proud to call Lebanon HOME.
I am from honesty, transparency, truthfulness, and generosity. I am from happiness, anxiety, sensitiveness, gratefulness, and nervousness. I am from caring, carefulness, and many other things.
I am from a wonderful school that educates me and helps me treasure information. A school that is an amazing, successful and helpful to all students. We all appreciate everything we have including respect, responsibility, and fun.
I am from generous friends who I can depend on including teachers, directors, principals, guards, and janitors.
I am from a brilliant life that I am grateful to.

I’d Rather Be…
By Yasmina
5B
I’d rather be a pencil than a pen
I’d rather be a rooster than a hen
I’d rather live in a castle than live in a pigpen
I’d rather be a fly than lie
I’d rather fight than kill
I’d rather be syrup than a pill
I’d rather be hyper than ill
I’d rather be dark than light
I’d rather be night than bright
I’d rather be left than right
I’d rather be an airplane than a kite
I’d rather be a mouse that a rat
I’d rather be thin than fat
I’d rather be an eagle than a bat
I’d rather be a hammock than a mat
I’d rather be dog than a cat
I’d rather be a mom than a dad
I’d rather be surprised than mad
I’d rather be a laptop than a Mac
I’d rather be an ipad than a computer
I’d rather be a teacher than a tutor
I’d rather be a feather than a brain tumor
I’d rather be west than east
I’d rather be greatest than least
I’d rather be a pin than a pin head
I’d rather be happy than so sad
I’d rather be a plate than late
I’d rather be small than big
I’d rather be short than tall
I’d rather be a rather poem than a normal poem
I’d rather stop than go on
I’d rather do that because I’m about to finish my rather poem while it is so long 

Dad’s Game of Life
By Yasmina 5B

Dad,
You taught me that life
Is just like two sides of a coin
Its head…or tail
You said, “Life is full of tests
Just try to do your best
And I know, no matter what
You will never fail.”
You told me to never fear
‘Cause you will always be there to wipe my tears.
Every night, everywhere, every day,
Dad, you showed me the way
To a great, good, life.
You taught me the Game of Life.
One day I will be a great person like you
I will have a great life like you taught me to.
I hope you had one and will continue your wonderful life.
Whatever outcome it is, life just goes on, and on.
Luv you Dad.

By Roderick Townley

Summary

In the small village of Aplanap, there stood a small shoemaker’s shop. And in that window of that shop, was a shoe that fit nobody. When Hap Barlo (the main character that works with Grel, the shoe maker) was sent to Xexnax… Where all the beggars and thieves are sent off there. Hap did want to go to save his father, Silas Barlo, that was sent there a long time ago.
Hap sat in the jail sell waiting to be deported to Xexnax. He thought about how it had gone all wrong. The blue shoe was ruined, the girl he’d been trying to help was missing and he’d been branded a thief- again! There were uncultivated rumors about what happened in Xexnax. Still, no one who’d been sent there, had ever come back. Hap dreams to rescue all the villagers that had been deported before him. Will Slag (boss of Xexnax) keep all the prisoners? Do you think Hap will rescue all of them? Do you think the blue shoe will still be ruined? Will the beggar girl go to Xexnax or will she talk? What will happen to Hap? Read the book to find out.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!!

Reflection

This is a fiction book because it has magic in it. I feel as if I am the shoe or as if I am wearing the blue shoe. This shoe has magic because when the mayor of Aplanap held it, it became like an old shoe made of stone, and at that moment I called it the shoe of sadness. When it’s with Grel, it is shining so bright that the people who passed by covered their eyes. This book is like a game, because at first you are excited to play that game like when the blue shoe is full of sparkling jewels and diamonds , but when the game stops working, you get sad like when the mayor took the shoe and it became a cloudy gray stone shoe.

Character Analysing

Hap Barlo: Hap is known as a thief. Once he wanted to steal the Mayor’s wife, Ludmilla’s purse. He is kind hearted because when the beggar girl was alone, Hap gave her fish, bread, and she wouldn’t even say thank you or even talk! Hap is determined because when he wanted to save his father, he risked his life to go to Xexnax.

Grel: Grel is the shoemaker and he has done a wonderful job on making shoes. The Mayor’s wife likes jewelry and shoes so she asks Grel to make her a pair shoes with really rare and expensive kinds of jewels, so Grel is really diligent. He is also kind, because when Hap made his decision to go to Xexnax to save his father, Grel gave him a pair of warm boots and food.

Mag: Mag is the driver of the wagon that carry people that are deported in to Xexnax. Mag and her Auki Husband Ulf had broken the rules of “A human can’t marry an Auki”. (Aukis are like elves that have long noses and their color is blue.) People call Mag, ‘Big Mag’ because she is above average size, and she is tough and rough, also strong because she had once carried Jack the mule (the mule who pulls the wagon) across a stream when the animal was spooked by the current.

Thanks for reading!

The Bully
(Voice Passage)
By Yasmina

Finally it’s recess. Oh No! I don’t want to go up there! There are too many bullies! I want to stay in class to read or to help my teacher, Mrs.Richani. She keeps on motivating me to go to the roof. Ugh! “Okay, I’ll go.” I say, but deep inside, I don’t want to. Today I will face my fears and stand up for myself-which by the way, never works-. Step by step, slowly slowly when suddenly, I bumped into the last person I wanted to see. The bully! “I’m sorry.” I say in a low voice. “Can’t you see where you’re going?!?”Says the bully and she turns around to face her friends. “Uh! She’s blind.” She flicked her hair and with a quick sigh, I continued my way. I was going to cry. No I don’t want to! As my hands sweating, my eyes bouncing, my body trembling and as butterflies with real butter on their wings were fluttering in my stomach, I stepped into the playground. “Hey! Watch where you’re going! A boy called angrily after he bumped into me. Suddenly, I heard five girls giggling and when I faced them, they quickly turned around and continued to do their laughing and gossiping about me. I can’t wait till dismissal…
I felt I’m going to faint, lose my consciousness… Oh God!! Why me?! Always me!! Nobody but me!!
Finally, 3:20. I was crying my way to the gate. When my mom saw me, she said, “Hey, what’s wrong?” I answered bluntly. When I got home, I couldn’t work. My head was going to burst into a million pieces of good and bad memories.
“Bedtime!” My mother called out. I was the last to go to bed. As I lay down on the bed, my pillow soaked with tears. Was I talking to myself or to my lovely pillow that listens always never tries to interrupt me?! I couldn’t stand it anymore. So I went to my mom to tell her what’s going on. I was going to explode! My mom told me, “Look, I want you to talk to your teacher and the counselor, and then I’ll talk to them later. Just don’t worry.” I laid down on the couch. Tomorrow I’m going to stand up for myself. I’m going to face my fears. I don’t want to worry all the time about being bullied and being bossed around. I don’t want to be judged by my physical features. I don’t want to be judged as short, shy, sensitive or anything! I don’t want to be hurt mentally and physically. I just want to be confident and I want to face my fears!!! I don’t want to be an unconfident girl. I want to be a normal one no matter what, and nobody can stop me!

The Wish
By Gail Carson Levine

Summary

Eighth-grader Wilma Sturtz is friendless. She just wants to be popular. Her closest childhood friends have moved away, and her efforts to make new ones have failed. Wilma goes from being very ignored and unpopular when a very personal essay written for language arts class is read aloud to the class by her teacher, Ms.Hannah. However, Wilma's conditions change when she offers an old lady her seat on the subway. The very mysterious lady offers to grant a wish for Wilma. Wilma blurted out that she wanted to be the most popular kid in the whole Claverford School. Boys fall all over them to pay attention to her. To her surprise, the wish was granted. Many boys ask her to go out with them to Grad Night Dance. This book is a fiction book because it has a spell in it. Do you think Wilma’s popularity will live forever? Or will it bring to a halt when she goes to Eliot High School next fall? Read the book to find out.

Reflection
This book is a very emotional book although it’s fiction because there is a spell that happens. I don’t have any connection, although this is a book about a girl, I think it’s for a girl who wants to be popular. When I started, I thought that I will never finish this book and it was boring, but when Wilma’s popularity came into action, I couldn’t stop reading. The pages were flipping like a spell while I was reading. I recommend it to girls mostly and boys who want to be popular.

Analysis of the Characters

Wilma; Wilma is a brave and friendly girl. She can hold her emotions but not so long because when the students called her names, she couldn’t hold her emotions anymore she started crying. Wilma is always helpful to her friends because when Ardis said she can’t understand her history assignment, Wilma helped her understand it. She is also comforting because when Beebee, Nina, Ardis, and her went to a sleepover, Wilma comforted Ardis by telling her nothing’s wrong with chopsticks and when Daphne was crying because she was left out, Wilma comforted Daphne by telling her she’ll be her friend.

Jared; Jared is Wilma’s boyfriend, although nobody likes him because he has one eyebrow. He is kind because he paid all the money that was in his pocket just to buy a picture of Wilma that was painted by an artist.

Reggie: Reggie is Wilma’s beloved dog. He is very friendly to all people except Jared, Wilma’s boyfriend. Reggie always growls at him because he is jealous of Wilma’s feelings toward Jared. He has many dog friends and even human friends, like Samson, Wilma’s friend’s dog and Samson’s owner. He is always playful and cute. Whenever he sees Wilma’s friends, he starts barking with joy, wagging his tail so rapid and starts jumping and licking their faces, like when Ardis came into Wilma’s house, Reggie started wagging his tail and jumping all over her.

The Green Dog
Summary

This book is a realistic fiction book that talks about: Suzanne, Bobby, Karen, and Charlie Fisher, the four siblings live with their parents in the south end of Chapman Lake in the wooded rolling hills of northeastern Pennsylvania. Suzanne, the main character loves adventures and animals. Every day she goes to the lake and she fishes. When she goes to the thick, wooded, forest, she captures some interesting animals but after a few days she releases them again in the wild. She doesn’t have a best friend or even just a friend. She likes to imagine things. She had been dreaming of getting her own dog, Jeff. She says that Jeff has black-tan silky fur, chocolate brown eyes and a long pink tongue. She can’t buy that dog; Bobby has allergies of furry creatures. One day in the roaring cars in the town, there Suzanne saw her ….. Dream dog, Jeff. Do you think her dad will agree to bring the dog Suzanne’s been dreaming of ever since she hadn’t had a friend? Or not? Read the book and you will find out.

The Green Dog
Reflection
I think this book is suitable to any people who likes dogs and who believe in friendship with animals. I had this experience because of my cat that I really loved. I can connect to this book but I will not ruin it for you.

The Green Dog
Connection
I can connect to this book when Suzanne was dreaming of her dog, I remembered when I was small, and I saw a cute cat that I kept on dreaming to buy. Finally, I was cured from dreaming because I bought my dream cat. Do you think Suzanne will be cured too? Read this book to find out.

The Green Dog
Analysing the Characters
Suzanne is the middle sister. She is sporty and active because every day she goes fishing and goes to the forest in search for interesting animals to keep for a short while. Also because she plays softball and baseball.
She is also lonely because she doesn’t have friends only her imaginary friend Judy.
She is also out of humanity because she keeps on dreaming about Jeff and she doesn’t pay attention to what’s going on in her life.

Karen, the second youngest sister is lazy because she doesn’t wake up in time for… (I can’t tell you because I’ll ruin the book for you) and because she doesn’t wake up until (9:30 to 10:00).
She isn’t sportive like her sister, because when they babysat Chico, the dog of Karen’s friend who just had a vacation with her family, she wouldn’t get up and run she would just sit and hold Chico in her arms.

Charlie is Suzanne youngest brother and he is frantic because when he gets hungry he starts jumping and scrambling all over the place.
He is also not a quite good secret keeper because when… (Again, I can’t tell you because I’ll ruin the book for you).

The Miserable Mill

By: Lemony Snicket

There is a new book in town called the Miserable Mill, it talks about three Baudelaire orphans with crewel Count Olaf who wants to snatch there big fortune (that is a big amount of money) from the bank. They are: Violet: the eldest and she is fourteen years old, Klaus: he is the only boy and he’s twelve, and Sunny: the youngest Baudelaire and she’s still a baby. I read the first, second, third and fourth book of the Series of Unfortunate Events and this is the fourth. I really liked and I’m sure you’ll like it also. The poor Baudelaire orphans’ parents perished in a fire, and currently Mr. Poe is taking care of the Baudelaire fortune as well as the Baudelaire orphans safe from any danger especially Count Olaf and his troupe associates. In this book, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire reached another adaptation from Sir who has a big factory called, “Lucky Smells Lumbermill.” When they arrived there, they were disgusted by everything they saw. Mr. Phil and the other employees of the mill showed the three Baudelaires a tour of the big factory. They were supposed to work hard there, with Foreman Flacutono bossing them around and causing accident plus blaming them on Klaus who was hypnotized because of Flancutono who keeps on tripping him and breaking his glasses. Because of Klaus’s eye glasses breaking, he went with Violet and Sunny to Dr. Orwell, the doctor and Shirley, the receptionist. When Klaus went inside Dr. Orwell’s office, Violet brought into being that Shirley was…. COUNT OLAF!!! Whenever Klaus goes to Dr. Orwell he comes back hypnotized. So Violet was tried to figure out the way how to get Klaus unhypnotized by reading an extremely hard book. Foreman Flancutono is causing trouble for Klaus and wants to kill Charles. When the Baudelaire orphans found out that the Foreman was one of Count Olaf’s associates, Sunny succeed the swordfight with Dr. Orwell, Violet was worthless with Olaf and his associate and Klaus saved Charles’s life, but in other ways, the three ruffians got away.

Summary of Summary

This book is a realistic fiction book that I really liked and it talks about: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire that are three orphans that hate their lives. Mr. Poe the banker is currently taking care of them while Count Olaf wanting to hold them in his clutches and snatches their fortune that is a big amount of money and he keeps on appearing from nowhere. Count Olaf keeps on killing the orphan’s new guardian, and he keeps on playing smart and big tricks on Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. Whenever the Baudelaires go to another and another guardian, they keep on finding Count Olaf pretending that he is another person even in The Miserable Mill…

Vocabulary

Austere: horrible, awful, unbearable, strict, rigorous…

Grotesque: twisted, tangled, stained, bizarre…

Remotely: distantly, vaguely, hazily, far distance…

Assiduous: diligent, hardworking, tireless, attentive, persevering…

Forgery: write something and pretend that it is written by somebody else...

Analization of the characters

· Violet:

- Inventor: As you know previously, Violet, the eldest Baudelaire is an inventor because she invented a strong rope that she used for climbing up the tower of Count Olaf, and she also invented a signal for people to know that she and her siblings plus her Aunt are in the middle of Lake Lachrymose.

-Smart/Clever: because she knew that Shirley (the receptionist) was Count Olaf just by looking at him. Also she figured out that Klaus is hypnotized and how to unhypnotized.

-Caring: because when Sunny’s fingers were sore from working all day, Violet blew on them. Also when Klaus was hypnotized, she helped him to get to sleep.

· Klaus:

-Half inventor: because he invented an object to save Charles’s life.

-Smart: because he reads more than anyone else than I know, and he used the information that he learned in his life.

-Polite: because when he was in the ruffians’ office he acted like that even if he didn’t like them.

· Sunny

-Courageous: because she defended herself from the sword, and she succeeded the fight.

· All the Baudelaires:

-Common sense: because they didn’t agree that gum for lunch, coupons instead of money, and waking up at the sound of clanging pots is normal.

-Honorable: because they acted like that to all people they knew, (except for Count Olaf and his associates).

- Assiduous: because they were very hardworking in the mill and they had sore fingers from working.

Reflection

I liked this book because it is very suspenseful and interesting. As you know, I finished the book early in class and the cause that made me read it all in four days is that at every end of a chapter, the last passage hooks me to the book and I keep on reading. If you want to read it, you just want to know what is going to happen. The best part I read is when Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, fought with Count Olaf, the fake foreman that is one of Count Olaf’s ugliest associates, and Dr.Orwell. Thank goodness, Sunny, the smallest of all Baudelaire orphans didn’t die while fighting with Dr. Orwell and his sword. I would like to recommend this book to anyone in the whole world. Especially to people who like suspenseful and interesting tales. This book is one of my favorite books.

Yasmina

Connection

This book reminds me of when my fourth grade teacher read us a book out loud called “Bud Not Buddy”. Bud was a brave boy and he didn’t have freedom in the orphanage, so he ran away and still, he didn’t have freedom. As well as the Baudelaire orphans, they didn’t have independence because Count Olaf was under their noses and he in every book, he appears from nowhere. Both books are emotional and I liked them a lot.

About The Author

Lemony Snicket wrote a lot of children’s books and stories including The Series of The Unfortunate events. He says that if you’re two, you’re too young. If you’re six, you’re too young even if you’re ten. Only if you are one hundred nine, maybe, but all the rest are too young. He was born on February 28, 1970 in San Francisco; The United States and grew up next to the sea. As a child he was kidnapped. He has neither a wife nor children, only associates and enemies. His test has been late so he is free to continue researching and writing disastrous tales about the Baudelaire orphans for HarperCollins.